Recognition honors wellness culture, communications, analysis

SEATTLE - Regence BlueShieldwas honored this month with Washington State’s 2010 Healthy Worksite Summit Golden Apple Award.

Regence was one of two organizations that received recognition for its worksite health promotion program for employees and their families. The Golden Apple Award is presented annually at the Healthy Worksite Summit to recognize outstanding worksite health promotion programs in the State of Washington.

“This is very exciting for us, because we’ve worked hard for seven years to create and refresh programs to engage employees in wellness for the long term,” said Amy Walloch, manager of the company’s wellness programs, who accepted the award. “We believe in being wellness ambassadors for our members and our communities.”
 
Golden Apple Award winners must demonstrate:
·         Program mission statement and goals
·         Activity for at least two years
·         Design and consideration for the results of an employee assessment, to ensure it meets the unique needs of the employee population.
·         Management commitment to the program.
·         An evaluation process to improve program effectiveness.
·         Willingness to share program with other organizations.
 
The Healthy Worksite Summit (formerly known as the Evergreen Everwell Conference) is a collaborative effort by the Association of Washington Cities, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society and the University of Washington Health Promotion Research Center.
Learn more about how Regence created a culture of wellness among employees.
 
About Regence BlueShield: Regence BlueShield is a leading health plan in Washington with more than one million members, offering health, life and dental insurance. Regence is the largest health insurer in the Northwest / Intermountain Region, serving nearly 2.5 million members as Regence BlueShield (selected counties in Washington), Regence BlueShield of Idaho, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon and Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah. Each plan is a nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Regence is committed to improving the health of our members and our communities, and to transforming our health care system. For more information, please visit www.regence.com or www.twitter.com/RegenceWA